If you're wondering where I ate lunch while in Chicago, the answer is in my hotel room: a Thomas's raisin bagel smeared with Skippy. Sad! I didn't have a ton of time so instead I ate a nice pizza dinner whenever I could. And when I left our dinner choice up to my ex-roommie, she wisely fed me Italian. No, not pizza this time, though Quartino apparently has nummy pizza, but Italian tapas. Where have these been all my life? Tapas are a non-commital eater's dream, and it was amazing to just get a little taste of all that stuff on the menu you might be curious about. A mini dish of bubbling hot eggplant parmigiana. A tiny plate of veal meatballs ("Yes!" I lied when my roommate asked if I ate veal. Sorry, lil' Elsie.) without a mountain of spaghetti to fill you up, so there's room for the fresh cavatelli with ricotta and tomatoes. Handmade pasta in my tapas? I say SI! They're also a wine bar so they served by the carafe, the half-carafe, and (the poor student in me rejoiced) the quarter-carafe. And I've gotta say, if you're a young twenty-something of a certain intellectual class and you're single and looking and in Chicago, you could do a lot worse than the patrons at this place, let me tell you.(Photo courtesy of someone's awesome flikr)
RATING: 93%
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17 comments:
I didn't know tapas came in Italian. (I've only had tapas at a Brazilian place.) I disapprove of your veal eating, tho.
I didn't realize there were Italian ones either. I'm most familiar with Spanish tapas. I do not disapprove of your veal eating, but understand those who do.
Tapas are Spanish in origin (not that you didn't know that), but they're now served in every kind of cuisine. Heretical to some, but I think it's a terrific idea. Tapas are more about a way of eating and living anyway, so why not enjoy Italian food in the same manner?
And I don't understand how anyone can disapprove of eating veal.
Veal is bad. And really I don't see the point when free range grass fed beef tastes amazing.
I actually don't think veal tastes any better than "regular" cow. It actually tastes slightly seafoody to me. And I feel hypocritical that I won't order it yet I will wear lots of leather things, so I try not to make any moral big deals. It's just a personal choice.
There is a distinction between where leather comes from and where veal comes from, tho. Because even in the big bad world of agribusiness, veal is a particularly nasty form of nasty. Regular cattle at least are allowed to walk around more or less (many start on the range and then are moved to feedlots). The little cows that become veal are just boxed up and unable to move for the entirety of their lives. And because of the close quarters, unsanitary conditions, and general poor health of the animals, they have to pump them full of antibiotics just to keep them alive (this is true of all factory farming, contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria). That's fucked up, and I just don't see the point so I can have some tasty meatballs. Fuck that.
In conclusion, eat organic, eat local. Try to buy cows that are raised on small farms where they get to walk around and eat grass outdoors. They taste better that way, anyway.
Thank you. Food rant over.
Where are the local cows that you eat raised? Yonkers?
Ideally we'd all buy organic. But when Organic Apples or whatever are twice the price of their counterparts... eh. We're all gonna die someday.
Believe it or not, Glenn, there is this whole part of "upstate" NY where there are farms and shit (and I think there are some neighboring states, too, can't remember which ones). And they bring the meat down here to NYC and sell it to us locals at "farmers markets" and sometimes even "Whole Foods". It's true. (Ask loco to explain it to you if you are still unclear.)
Also, I am lucky enough to live two blocks from a Trader Joe's where everything is good for earth and cheap. It's an amazing place. Really.
I only eat veal that's been molested before it's killed.
Or I skip the veal entirely and dump penicillin directly onto my mashed potatoes.
The farmers' markets in NYC are fantastic.
There's a great essay from Best Food Writing 2008 on local and organic food. If I can't find it online I'll just scan it for you if you'd like to read it.
And personally, I like veal more for the difference in texture than the taste.
Feast of Burden by Sara Deseran
And because we believe in being fair and balanced on R3, the Economist article referenced in Deseran's essay...
She should definitely cold smoke it herself. Ha ha.
When did we teach wo-men to write, anyway?
Her editor was probably a male.
You know, if you boys want to be alone here on R3 loco and I can just move right along to writing vaginasvaginasvaginas full time.
I think it is like, their dream to all be left alone together in a locked room with no key.
This is 2009. A locked room isn't necessary, just an AIM account.
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